Presentation 1

Bas Jan Ader was one of the early
pioneers of experimental filmmaking. He often used his on body and the prop in
which he filmed. His films depicted himself testing out human limits. One such
film was of himself climbing up a tree and hanging on a branch until his hands
failed to hold on entirely and he dropped into a creek. Ader used gravity as
his medium often letting his body be the form at which we was able to represent
gravity best. He did several films of himself falling as well as filming the
smashing of lightbulbs via a falling rock. His use of his body is oddly reminiscent
of the likes of Jackass now a days and other viral reality TV that pushed one’s
body to the limits of pain. He disappeared during his last art performance as
her tried to sail by himself across the Atlantic Ocean.